We study the confinement of low group velocity band-edge modes in a photonic crystal slab. We use a rigorous, three dimensional, finite-difference time-domain method to compute the electromagnetic properties of the modes of the photonic structures. We show that by combining a defect mode approach with the high-density of states associated with bandedge modes, one can design compact, fabrication-tolerant, high-Q photonic microcavities. The electromagnetic confinement properties of these cavities… CONTINUE READING